Mr. Hamdan Youssef Rashwan
This photograph captures an authentic scene from Palestinian social life in the late 20th century, specifically in the heart of Jisr az-Zarqa, where Abd al-Muati’s Café was a lively gathering place for the village’s elders and prominent figures.
The gathering shows elderly men in their customary dignified attire, wearing the keffiyeh and agal and the traditional qumbaz, holding walking sticks that symbolized dignity and old age. They are gathered around a simple round table, exchanging conversation and discussing the affairs of the village in an atmosphere filled with warmth, friendship, and familiarity.
The documentation of this gathering by journalist Bassam Muhammad Al-Qarout in the 1990s represents a valuable legacy that preserves the village’s collective memory and conveys to younger generations vivid images of their ancestors’ way of life, the simplicity of their gatherings, and the strong bonds that characterized the community at that time.
A similar gathering was also held with Dr. Jamal and Ezz al-Din Amash, who was the head of the local council at the time.
Those appearing in the photograph:
- Hajj Mahmoud Abu Al-Eila
- Hajj Tu’ma Al-Bayer
- Hajj Wadie Al-Mithqal
- Hajj Hassan Al-Muhammad
- Hajj Hassan Al-Qaqo
- Hajj Ahmad Al-Dheib
- Hajj Salim Ismail
- Hajj Abd Abu Shaker Al-Mastrahi
May God have mercy on them.
- Hajj Abd al-Muati Abu Bassam — May God preserve him.
